Tokyo escapes assassination in Ibadan

July 6, 2014 by Olufemi Atoyebi, Ibadan

Former chairman of Oyo State chapter of National Union of Road Transport Workers, Lateef Akinsola, popularly called Tokyo, on Saturday escaped being lynched by suspected thugs in Agbeni area of Ibadan.

Akinsola had visited the home of Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh Haruna Suara, with some of his supporters when he was attacked with dangerous weapons.

The former NURTW chairman, who was taken away from the scene in an Armoured Personnel Carrier belonging to the Oyo State Police Command, said his attackers were after his life and the lives of his supporters, adding that he was lucky to have escaped alive.

“I was at the Chief Imam of Ibadan’s residence to honour his invitation with some of my supporter’s when they attempted to kill me. My supporters were attacked while I was with the Imam in his house at Agbeni area of Ibadan.

“Thank God that my supporters were outside when I was inside with the Imam, maybe I would have been dead by now,” Akinsola said.

Bashiru Saheed, Agboola Rasak, Liadi Akande, Rilwan Akinsola and Alani Adaramola were some of Akinsola’s supporters who sustained injuries in the attack.

An eyewitness who did not give his name said that more than 20 suspected thugs carried out the attack, adding that they were loyalists of the present chairman of the union in the state. He mentioned Afeez Oyerinde as the leader of the attackers.

Police Public Relation Officer in the state, Olabisi Ilobanafor, who confirmed the incident, said that the state police command responded to the call for re-inforcement by Mapo police station.

She said, “The command dispatched combined police teams and an Armed Personnel Carrier to the scene of the attack to quell the violence and rescue Akinsola. We are yet to make arrests because the place was very rowdy and we have to stop that first and later make arrests based on identification by the witness.

“We have advised those injured to go for treatment and later come back to help us in our investigations to apprehend the culprits. We will get them and make them face the full wrath of the law to serve as deterrents to others in the act,” she said.

Meanwhile, chairman of the union in the state, Taofeek Oyerinde, has denied the allegation against his loyalists by eyewitness, saying that those fingered in the attack were at a religious function by the time of the attack.

He said, “We have met Alhaji Tokyo on several occasions and we have never attacked him. We are not violent union again. We will continue to maintain the peace in the state. Those people mentioned in connection with the attack were at NTA Ibadan 2nd Ramadan Lecture of the late Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Arisekola-Alao when the incident happened. The police should conduct investigation and get video clip of the programme to ascertain my claim,” said Oyerinde.